French and Indian War--The French and Indian War was fought between France and England over the land in the Ohio River Valley. Both countries claimed they owned this land. The French were able to get the help of the Huron Indians, which gives this war its name. The French and Indians were allies or friends. The British eventually won the war and gained control over this land. But, because the war was expensive, they were in a lot of debt. Before the French and Indian War, the British Parliament (government) ignored what was happening in the colonies and let them govern and tax themselves. Because Britain defended the colonists during the French and Indian War, they thought the American colonists should pay the debt. The British Parliament started to pass laws that taxed the American colonists to pay off the huge debt. Colonists agreed that they should pay taxes to the American colonies but NOT to the British King or British Parliament. The King of England also passed a law stating that no colonies could settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonies were against these changes England was trying to make.

Stamp Act - The Stamp Act placed a tax on all papers, such as legal documents and newspapers. The colonists protested with the cry “NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!” Colonists did not have a representative in British Parliament and had no voice in that government. They wanted to be a part of colonial assemblies (colonial government) and did not really want representation in Parliament. Colonists organized a Stamp Act Congress and sent a petition to the King. They boycotted British goods and Britain took away the Stamp Act. Colonists also organized the Sons and Daughters of Liberty to help protest British taxes.

Townshend Act - The Townshend Act was a tax placed on goods that the colonists imported from England like paper, wool, tea and other goods. British leaders hoped that the colonists would pay these taxes. The Townshend Acts caused many protests in the colonies. Colonists decided to boycott (refuse to buy) British goods. The Daughters of Liberty decided to make their own goods instead of paying Britain’s tax. They made their own tea and weaved their own cloth. These boycotts hurt Britain’s business. They decided to move British warships into Boston Harbor. They hoped this would make colonists stop protesting.

Boston Massacre - The Boston Massacre happened on March 5, 1770. After Britain put their warships in Boston Harbor, the colonists resented the British soldiers. They called them “lobsterbacks” because of their red uniforms. A group of boys started throwing snowballs and a crowd gathered to taunt the soldiers. The soldiers fired into the crowd and killed five people. Paul Revere created the engraving below which showed British soldiers firing at innocent colonists. This painting known as the Bloody Massacre angered many colonists and fueled the Revolution

Committee of Correspondence - Samuel Adams formed a Committee of Correspondence in Boston in 1772. These committees delivered letters across the colonists to keep others informed about news. They were called “express riders” and they rode on fast horses. Paul Revere was a famous express rider.

Tea Act - The Tea Act was not a tax. This new law forced colonists to only buy tea from the British East India Company. This company had money problems and British Parliament wanted to help them. The colonists boycotted tea. In Boston, the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Native Americans and threw the tea overboard. Because of the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts as a punishment to the citizens of Boston.

Intolerable Acts - The Intolerable Acts closed Boston’s harbor and took away Massachusetts’s self-government. The King also sent more soldiers to Boston to prevent more protests from happening. The British called these acts the Coercive Acts because they were supposed to force the colonists to pay for the tea they dumped into the water and recognize the power that Parliament had in the colonies. Because of the Intolerable Acts, the colonists set up the First Continental Congress.

First Continental Congress - Colonists sent representatives to the 1st Continental Congress to talk about the problem with the Intolerable Acts. They set up a boycott on all trade with Great Britain and sent a letter to King George. This congress also told each colony to start training militias (volunteer armies). Leaders went home and started organizing militias. Some groups called themselves minutemen because they could be ready to fight for their colony in a minute’s notice.Websites:Road to Revolution BATTLES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Battle of Lexington and Concord: April 19, 1775: Lexington and Concord were towns near Boston. The British marched out of Boston to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington and to destroy weapons in Concord. The minutemen (Colonist’s militia) were ready when the Redcoats got to Lexington. They were proud of their fighting and learned how powerful it was for them to fight behind rocks and trees. The first shots of the American Revolution were fired in Lexington. This shot is also called “the shot heard round the world”. After these battles, the 2nd Continental Congress met and named George Washington as the Commander-in-Chief of the new American army.Battle of Bunker Hill: June 16, 1775: The Battle of Bunker (Breed’s) Hill was very important because of what the American’s learned. The militia in Boston build a fort overnight on Breed's Hill in hopes to force the British to leave Boston. The British attacked the fort 3 times before finally capturing it. Because they ran out of gunpowder and ammunition they were forced to surrender, it showed the Americans they needed allies to supply them with ammunition. Even though the Americans lost the battle, they killed or injured more than 1,000 British soldiers that day. The British left Boston and sailed to New York where they hoped they would find Americans who were still loyal to the king (loyalists).

Battle of Saratoga: September/October 1777: This battle in New York was the turning point of the war for the American Patriots. The British wanted to take over the area around the Hudson River. The Patriots defeated them. Because the Patriots won this battle, France believed they were capable of winning the war and decided to be in an alliance (work with) the Americans. They helped by giving money and used the French Navy to fight against the British with us.

Charleston, SC:Soon after the British lost the Battle of Saratoga in New York, they turned their attention to South Carolina. They were hoping to find many loyalists there. The British were successful in capturing Charleston, SC. The British took over Charleston’s port for many days. The set up a blockade around the harbor and didn't allow any supplies to be delivered in to the Patriots. The Patriots began fighting the British and their Loyalists using hit and run tactics.Battle of Cowpens: The Battle of Cowpens was an important battle in South Carolina. It shows that the Continental Army could work with the partisan militia forces. The militias led the attack against the British and then ran away. They tricked the British Army into thinking they were retreating (running away). Instead, the militias led the British force right into the American Continental Army. The British were defeated and left the south to march towards Virginia.Battle of Yorktown: Yorktown was the final battle of the war. The French navy helped General George Washington and his army. The French navy blocked the harbor in Virginia. This blockade stopped British ships from getting into the harbor. British ships were coming to pick up the British troops who were camped out in Virginia and trying to escape. On October 19, 1781 the British were surrounded by the American and the French forces. They were forced to surrender. The American Revolution was over. In 1783, The Treaty of Paris was signed. This document stated that Great Britain recognized the United States of America as an independent nation.

Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called “Common Sense”. He convinced the colonists that independence from Britain made common sense. This pamphlet was written in common, easy to understand language and was read by many colonists. A committee was formed to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was in charge of writing the Declaration of Independence along with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

Part 1: “All men are created equal…”

Part 2: “they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”

Part 3: “to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”

Part 4: “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it”

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